SAN DIEGO’S ONE-OF-A-KIND NEIGHBORHOOD IS CORONADO CAYS

If you happen to drive a car into the community, you could take Coronado Cays Boulevard to find Grand Caribe Causeway, which leads to the Coronado Cays Yacht Club. But you can also sail into this neighborhood.

“The Coronado Cays is a boater’s paradise... The typical resident is an avid boater,” said Realtor Gerri-Lynn Fives, a real estate broker in the Coronado Cays for over 12 years. She works from the Prudential California Realty office on the causeway. “(It) is the only waterfront community south of Newport Beach where you can have your yacht or dingy in your own back yard.”

The best part about living in the Coronado Cays, says Fives, would be having a boat slip out your back door. She says it is akin to being on vacation in your own home.

“I am passionate about the Coronado Cays and believe in selling the lifestyle,” said Fives.

Coronado Cays is a neighborhood development established in the 1970s. It was designed around man-made inlets and peninsulas with a theme that reflects the architecture and atmosphere of Caribbean vacation spots.

According to the Coronado Cays Home Owners Association, there are 1198 homes in the Coronado Cays and 384 are classified as condos and 814 as single-family homes. According to Fives, there are 349 custom home sites, which means Coronado Cays is always changing as the custom-home owners often remodel or rebuild.

The Cays has limited business space. The Calypso Café, says Fives, is a welcome addition to the community as well as a great place for locals and visitors to grab a cup of coffee or a wonderful meal.

“The resale market has been quite active,” said Fives. Currently, 40 properties are listed for sale in the Coronado Cays ranging in price from $569,000 to $9,500, 000.

According Fives, 24 single-family homes have sold in 2012 in the Coronado Cays. The average sales price was $1,576,288; and the highest priced single-family home that sold last year was for $5,065,000. A total of 16 condos/townhomes sold last year with a highest price of $1,300,000; and the average price was $829,599.

The Coronado Cays Yacht Club is the social scene for the Coronado Cays, said Fives. They host dinners, brunches, lunches, beer can races. Many of the villages also have their own social scene in their private club houses. The Coronado Cays is a dogfriendly community and has its very own dog park where dogs are permitted to run off leash as long as they can respond to voice commands. There are several tennis courts located in the Coronado Cays with an active group of players.

Fives added, “The Coronado Cays also has its very own firehouse that is staffed.”

Kathy Pounds of Pacific Sotheby’s Realty also specializes in the Coronado Cays. Her team of Realtors includes family and is based in two offices, one in Coronado village and the other in the Cays. She and her daughter/business partner Lisa Storey each made Coronado Cays home.